Press Release

Morgan Lewis Advises Equities First Holdings LLC on the Acquisition of London-based Meridian Equity Partners Limited

Thursday, September 25, 2014

LONDON, September 25, 2014: Global law firm, Morgan Lewis today announces that it has advised Equities First Holdings LLC [EFH] on the acquisition of Meridian Equity Partners Limited.

EFH is a global leader in shareholder finance, specialising in securities based lending transactions to investors in need of prompt funding. The firm’s longtime strategic partners include the world’s largest custodian banks, major investment banks and leading international law firms. EFH has offices in London, Indianapolis, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Sydney, and Perth.

Al Christy, Jr., President and Founder of EFH said, “2014 has been a year of consolidation and expansion for EFH. This acquisition is transformational for the firm and adds a further five offices to serve clients in Europe, Asia, Australia and the U.S., bringing the brand to a new, global level.”

The Equities First transaction is non-recourse and the borrower retains all of the upside market appreciation of the shares.

Lawyers from Morgan Lewis’s London office assisted with the transaction. The transaction was led by partner Chris Harrison with partner William Yonge providing regulatory advice, partner Iain Wright and associates Sergey Kvitkin and Vinay Varma the corporate advice with partner Kate Habershon and associate Katerina Heal providing tax advice.